Schalke 04 give Weston McKennie a five year contract extension

United States youth international Weston McKennie is set to be dressed in royal blue until the year 2022, agreeing to an extension with Schalke 04. The 19-year-old Texas native’s previous contract was to be up in the 2019/2020 season.

This is great news for McKennie, who has made his way to the Royal Blues senior team after spending time with their U-19’s and then made his debut against FC Ingolstadt.

Here’s what Sporting Director Christian Heidel had to say about the young midfielder:

“Weston will develop into a key part of our first team with us. Weston has shown in the past few months that he is more than capable of contributing significantly to the future of Schalke”, said sporting director, Christian Heidel. “Thanks to his talent and his willingness to learn, Weston has made the rise from the U19s to the Bundesliga and it’s been a success from the get go. We’re very happy that Weston sees his long-term future to be at FC Schalke 04.”

- Christian Heidel, Sporting Director; Source

So far this season, the youngster has made five appearances for Schalke in all competitions, two of those in the starting eleven. McKennie is just one of many American players that have made their way to the Bundesliga.

According to McKennie, it was a slam dunk in signing that new contract:

“It was an easy decision for me to make. I love the club and everything here: my teammates, the head coach and the fans”, stated Weston McKennie. “I’d love to stay here forever.”

McKennie came from FC Dallas’ Academy in 2016 to join Schalke’s Academy. The holding midfielder has played for the USYNT at the U-17, U-19 and U-20 level.